FIFA ban likely, but Praful Patel acted selfishly: Alberto Colaco

FIFA Ban' began doing the rounds in Indian football circles after the Supreme Court citing that his body had continued to govern despite its expired tenure, ended Praful Patel's 12-year term as All India Football Federation president on Wednesday, and instituted a Committee of Administrators to run the federation and oversee the holding of elections. Quoting FIFA's zero-tolerance policy on what it calls external interference in the functioning of national member federations, many are predicting that the AIFF could very soon be facing a ban, resulting in perhaps even the shifting away of the U-17 women's World Cup from India later this year.

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The Supreme Court on Wednesday did a cricket with football as it applied court-devised BCCI reform formula on the All India Football Federation (AIFF) by substituting the Praful Patel-led executive committee with Committee of Administrators (CoA) led by former SC Judge AR Dave.

But those looking at it dispassionately felt the probable FIFA action is something the AIFF have invited upon themselves and are clearly only to blame especially with Patel unwilling to vacate office after Dec 2020 when his term ended. Alberto Colaco, former AIFF secretary general, who served both under the late Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and briefly under Patel, said there could be a ban coming. "If we go by earlier precedents, I think there will be a ban for India," he told Times Sport on Wednesday. "If things have come to such a sorry state for the AIFF, it is only because Praful Patel has acted arbitrarily and selfishly for his own benefit," Colaco, squarely laying the blame for the current mess at Patel's door, said. The one person who has seen the